Thank you to all the folks that contributed to this most amazing month.
No, we did not solve all of our financial issues and we haven't brought peace to the middle east, although we are do support the teaching of the Prince of Peace there!
This month was made special by some wonderful new relationships, some even in the midst of very difficult circumstances. And we did receive some generous above-and-beyond financial support; the kind that always causes me to celebrate, give thanks, reflect and be quiet all at the same time.
One of the most sober moments came in a 2am phone call the day that Saleem and I were supposed to start a conference in Orlando. It was Andera telling Saleem that his father had just passed away. We were sharing a rented house with a team of wonderful church planters from North Carolina, one of which -- in one of God's unsigned little miracles -- was a young man that was born in Gaza, had lived in Nazareth and had known Saleem and his father for many years. It was a particular comfort to Saleem that morning to have that circle of family reconnect in such an unusual and unexpected way. We will both always remember those times shared with Dave and Anne, Daniel and Allyson, Joe and Michelle. Thank you.
The weekend before, Saleem and I tried a little team-preaching at the Sarasota Christian Church, and their generosity of spirit and treasures were extremely encouraging to both of us. And we were going to try the same sermon the next week at Cornerstone Community Christian Church in Deltona, but Saleem's emergency trip home (paid for by a quiet friend of the ministry) made that impossible... or so we thought.
While we were sitting at the airport waiting for his plane, Saleem asked me to record his
greetings to the Deltona church on my little video camera. He ended up doing his entire portion of the sermon and was therefore able to be a part of the service (thanks to some quality tech support by the AV guys in Deltona!). That even seemed to add to a special time of sharing and getting to know each other in unexpected ways. Thank you guys for the prayers for Saleem and for helping me solo a duet!
As I am writing this Saleem is preparing to attend the SAYF conference in Southern Israel. This is the group of believing Jewish and Arab leaders that come together to build relationships in hopes of one day having a fellowship in Israel that truly looks like the single body of Christ that they are all a part of. There is a little extra tension this time as it is the first meeting since the bombing of Gaza earlier this year, and there are differences of opinion about the proper way for Belivers to react to such events among them.
I hope you will take note in the 'Coming Events' section that Saleem and Andera will be leading an Emmanuel Institute on June 25 in Johnson City, TN. Click on the graphic there for more information, or just shoot me an email. We'd love to have as many supporters there as possible to encourage them, and to be better prepared to take the message back to their home churches.
After that they'll be headed to Arizona then back to Kentucky for the North American Christian Convention (stop by the booth!).
After that they'll be headed to Arizona then back to Kentucky for the North American Christian Convention (stop by the booth!).
We had a very generous individual contact us this month with an offer to purchase a translation system for the ministry! This will be a big help when training as well as worshiping with the Team.
If all goes well I will be sending the next report from Israel. I'll be there meeting with the Team as well as groups from Phoenix, St. Louis, Northampton, and Tennessee. Please keep us in your prayers for God's name to be glorified in all that we do there.
Time for me to quit writing so you can get to the good parts; highlights of the April Team reports. Remember that these are edited for both length and content; we try to not include information in this version that can cause problems for the Team and the people they are serving in Israel. Members of the American Committee receive the full reports each month, and we are looking for ways to make those available to you all via a secure web site.
Please take a few minutes and read these reports, and thank you for your continuing support of CHLF, and for allowing me to be your linkage to this amazing ministry.
Please take a few minutes and read these reports, and thank you for your continuing support of CHLF, and for allowing me to be your linkage to this amazing ministry.
In Him,
for Them,
John W Samples
American Team Leader
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